Confinement Nannies – A Booming Business

Women across the world are mostly unaware of the need for a post-natal confinement period. Confinement periods have been the part of postnatal care in Asian cultures for decades. Mothers and grandmothers take their daughters home to provide them with complete rest and comfort so that the postnatal recovery is easier. Recently, the concept of confinement is starting to get adopted in European countries as well.

This idea may seem extremely bizarre to some, but it is part of a culture in many countries especially in China, where the business of confinement nanny is booming.

Yes, confinement nannies are now a big business deal! They are so popular and their demand is so high that recently China has passed a circular that lists the set of standards that divide nannies according to their skills. There are nannies whose duty is to take care of babies in the confinement centre, and then there are the expert ones who not only provide care to the child but also to the new mother for a whole month.

Specifics of Confinement Nannies

Being a nanny is not merely about learning a set of skills from experienced nannies and then getting into the business. It has become much more than that. A nanny must hold at least a junior high school diploma to pursue her career. She also needs to be in between the age of 18 to 55. She should not hold any criminal record or any sign of mental disorder. There is usually a whole array of tests involved to make sure that the applicants who want to become confinement nannies are suitable candidates.

To be on top and be regarded as a “gold medal” owner, a confinement nanny needs to give satisfactory result in all standards of requirements. She also needs to undergo several training assessments and sessions. Also, she is expected to hold a senior certificate for infant care and household services to become an ideal candidate in the business.

Confinement centres that hire nannies are required to register their business and have a venue for training the staff. They are also required to organise insurance and health checks for them.

Responsibilities of a Nanny

Apart from going through the tests and training mentioned above, a nanny’s job is to take complete care of infants and their mothers in the first month. According to the tradition, the first month of a child is extremely important, therefore immense care needs to be given in order to keep the little one safe from environmental and physical illness. It is also a crucial period of recovery for the mothers to regain their strength and health.

Then, there come the expert nannies who are the ones contributing significantly to this business’s sudden growth. They are called ‘yue-sao’ in Chinese as they are clinically certified and can work anywhere around the country. Their demand is so high that now families have to book these nannies at least one month before the due date. Some families with family members who have had experience also prefer professional ‘yue-saos’ specialised in the postpartum period.

Hiring nannies have become a trend especially since the younger generation has almost no knowledge on how to manage their confinement period. These nannies follow all the rules by taking care of mother and the child against permanent or irreversible damages.